2.1.1 Introduction to Networking

Network Protocol

A network also needs standards in order to define how that data is going to be formatted. We call these standards network protocols. The important thing to remember is the fact that if the computers on the network aren't using the same network protocol, they're probably not going to be able to understand the data flowing across them.

Network Interface

Each computer and device in the network also must have a network interface. A network interface has a very special job. It converts the digital data that's coming from the computer into some type of signal that can be transmitted on the network medium, and it goes ahead and does just that. It sends that signal through the connecting medium. We call this the Physical layer. The network interface may use an electrical signal or a light signal. It could even use a radio signal in order to send the data. These signals are received by the other network interfaces and are converted back into the digital data that the computers and other devices can process

Nodes or hosts

First of all, the network needs to have computers and devices that have a need to communicate with each other. These devices are often referred to as network nodes or hosts. If you hear the term node or host, we're talking about the same thing. We're talking about the computers on the network.

Connecting Media

In order to communicate, these computers and other devices have to be connected together in some way. This is done using connecting media. We can use twisted pair cabling, fiber optic cabling, or even Wi-Fi radio signals as a type of connecting media for all these different devices.

Network Beneftis

Networks also make work group collaboration easier. By consolidating storage, users can share files with each other. We can also implement email or instant messaging or even use social media to allow people to collaborate with each other when they're working on a project. We can implement workflow management applications as well. By doing this, we can track projects and organize them in a much more efficient manner. We can even replace our traditional telephone service with a network. We can use Voice over IP, or VoIP, to reduce our telephone expenses. We can enhance external communications with partners or with customers as well. For example, an organization can more efficiently communicate with its clients or partners through a website or social media. One instance of this would be if an organization's customers needed to order a new product or get replacement parts for a product they've already purchased, they could come to the company's website and place an order. Another instance would be if a company was going to roll out a new product, they could organize a series of webcasts in order to introduce their customers to it.

Networks Share Peripherals

Networks are expensive to set up, and they're really expensive to maintain. You might be asking why on earth would a company go to all this expense to have one? The key thing to remember is that, usually, networks actually save an organization money in the long run. For example, networks allow users to share peripherals. Suppose we have a typical office with several employees, and each employee has their own computer. Every day these users need to print documents. They need to print time sheets, expense reports, customer orders, and so on. Without a network, each individual user's workstation would need to have their own printer. If you think about it, how much time each day would that printer actually be used? Very little, right? We would have expensive excess capacity. With a network, we can implement a few shared printers that can be used by many different users at once.

Consolidate Storage

Networks can also consolidate storage. Instead of requiring employees to store data on their local workstations, what they can do is actually save their data in a central location on a file server. They could even save data on a network-attached storage device. This is very important because it reduces the amount of storage required on each workstation, and it also makes life easier for the network administrator because we store all of this sensitive company information in one location. Instead of having to back up everybody's workstation every night to protect the data, all we have to do is back up the server's shared storage.

Summary

That's it for this lesson. In this lesson, we introduced you to the concept of a computer network. Remember, a network is a group of interconnected devices that need to share information with each other. In order for that network to work, several key components are required. First of all, you have to have the devices themselves. We need some type of connecting medium, and we need an appropriate network interface that connects to that network medium. Finally, we need some agreed upon set of communication standards to define our networking protocols. Finally, we talked about the fact that networks usually save a company more time and money than they cost in order to set up and maintain.

Network

is a group of interconnected computers and other devices that are able to share information with each other. In order for any network to function, there are several key components that have to be in place.